Bastard Nation advocates for the civil and human rights of adult citizens who were adopted as children. Millions are prohibited by law from accessing personal records that pertain to their historical, genetic and legal identities. Such records are held by their governments in secret and without accountability, due solely to the fact that they were adopted.
Bastard Nation campaigns for the restoration of their right to access their records. End a hidden legacy of shame, fear and venality.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

BASTARD NATION STATEMENT ON HAITIAN ADOPTIONS AND "BABYLIFTS"

Please distribute freely

For the last week, Bastard Nation, like the rest of the world, has been watching the devastation of Haiti. The images are frightening, sad, and heartrending, especially those of the children.

We have also watched with alarm the rush to rescue Haitian children by adoption. Within three days of the earthquake, Catholic Charities of Miami had set up a scheme modeled on Operation Pedro Pan, a joint State Department-CIA-Miami Diocese project in the early 1960s to separate children from their parents, creating young pawns in the US war against the Castro government. Although “Operation Pierre Pan” in Haiti is on hold, at least for now, numerous evangelical churches and ministries, adoption agencies, secular organizations, unfinalized adoptive parents and other individuals--many with conflicts of interest--have joined the rescue mission call to remove children immediately, no matter what their family status, to the US for the purpose of adoption.

Haiti is still under rubble. Aid is slow to arrive. Survivors are spread out in shelters and camps, or live in the streets. The dead are unnumbered, unknown, and unnamed. Family members continue to search for each for other, and it will take weeks or even months for final conciliation.

The rush to relocate orphans, quasi-orphans, and potential orphans internationally is ripe for coercion and fraud. Adoption agencies, church agencies, and ministries especially--along with fraudulent and predatory “child welfare” agents--have much to gain from fast removal. The trafficking of Haitian children for sex, servitude, and adoption operated in Haiti before the quake. It certainly operates now. The unethical and possibly unlawful mass transfer of traumatized children, many with family status unknown, to foreign shelters, foster care, and adoption agencies, removed from their culture and language, with little hope of family reunification cannot be allowed or tolerated. We urge US State Department and other US authorities in Haiti to (1) remove private special interests and those with conflicts of interest, such as adoption agencies and ministries, from the child welfare decision-making process and (2) halt the evacuation of children and their placement for adoption in the US.

We also urge the State Department to suspend pending adoptions. Haitian paperwork is lost or destroyed. Rock Cadet, the judge most responsible and knowledgeable about pipeline cases, died in the quake. Though the US Embassy survived, US paperwork is probably unavailable for some time, if it still exists. Without proof of Haitian court or Embassy status, any adoption removal from the country, without thorough background investigation and due process, is illegal and not in the best interest of the child

Needless to say, no new adoptions should be processed.

In the post-quake chaos, children need protection from predatory snatchers. Bastard Nation, therefore, supports the expedited removal of Haitian children, orphans or otherwise, to credible and documented parents or family members in the US for temporary or permanent placement depending on the circumstances. These children must not be assumed adoptable and scooped up for fast-track adoption. They should be a top priority. We urge the State Department or other government or credible private and disinterested agencies to assist Haitians in the US to locate child kin and bring them to the US.

We understand why people want to open their arms and hearts to the children of the Haitian earthquake, but adoption is not emergency or humanitarian aid or a solution to Haiti’s ongoing problems. The immediate rescue effort in Haiti should focus on emergency services, individual and family care and family reunification, not family, community, and cultural destruction and the strip-mining of children.

2 comments:

The Korean War Baby concurs that the situation in Haiti must follow the international Hague Conventions, though I do wonder has the Haitian government signed it? Don't think so, but the US State Dept. HAS frozen all NEW adoptions. The "gang that couldn't shoot straight from Idaho" misled by a woman who is unaccredited, untrained, unprepared, NOT a missionary...they are a great opportunity and provide a "Teaching point" to educate the BEST way to proceed on helping Haitian people. A hierarchy of options DO exist, yet perhaps a Commission should be set up by the Haitian government on these issues (we must remember quite a few are dead so it will take awhile). Evan B. Donaldson's Policy Paper suggests a 2 year time period to sort things out based on the 2004 Tsunami.That being said: Question, IF paper work exists of a PENDING adoption under process, with copies certainly in possession of the US Adoption Agencies and families...THEN WHY should they NOT be pushed through? That makes no sense at all. Both Haitian and others (even UNICEF) seem to think these cases should go forward.

Before the earthquake, it was reported by Kent Page of UNICEF that 380,000 Haitian children were SINGLE orphans and about 50,000 were DOUBLE orphans. You DO know what that means? Orphanus in the original language does mean "Fatherless" and both the UNICEF and Hague Convention uses the term for children with ONE parent living, or BOTH parents dead.

The numbers of children have absolutely increased YET precautions must be done in order that Family Preservation does take place; then ethnic Haitians in other lands adopting relative, then non-relatives; perhaps then "rich white liberal/democrat folks" who have already adopted TransRacial children so they will have siblings of different color...Lastly, would be those "horrible unscrupulous people who want to force Christian values of Love and colorblindness on unfortunate children who are unwanted by their blood relatives or actually Given up by them".There is the Hierarchy that the Korean War Baby thinks should be done.Don Gordon BELL

I have adopted from Haiti. Those that are offering their homes and want to adopt and those that are in the process are two different things. You have to go through the proper channels. Haitian adoptions are going through, but they are with people who are already in the process and have received referrals long before the quake.

The orphans that you are talking about may not come under the orphan status as outlined by the federal government. They may have relatives, and many do, but their relatives do not want to take care of them. Children are trafficked for slavery outside of Haiti and within Haiti. They are made into slaves.

Unless you know about adoptions, and what is involved, and not base it on hysteria by anti adoption groups, you will know that you can't just fly over to Haiti and grab a baby.

We have adopted from several countries.Our children are "true" orphans. My daughter from Haiti was 2 years and 3 months when she came home, and weighed the same as a 7 month old baby. Some babies, prior to western orphanages being set up were thrown out like trash.Not all families want their babies. Some want them, but can't keep them due to strict government control and enforced abortions (China), others are in dire poverty and have no means to support a child.

The first priority should always be that of the child. The best interest of the child is always to stay in their birth country and with a birth family.However, not at the expense of their life or safety.

My kids are all doing great. They are the best. No, we are not a crazy religious family who wanted to save the world. We wanted to provide a loving, caring, nuturing home to a child who needed a family. Their heritage and biological parents are always in our thoughts.